Three people have been charged with motor insurance fraud after allegations they acted as “ghost brokers”, the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has reported. The two men and one woman are suspected of working as ghost brokers, or illegal intermediaries, offering cheap motor insurance. It is claimed they submitted false and misleading information to insurance companies in order to obtain cheap insurance for a set fee, potentially leaving many drivers uninsured.

They were also charged with tax evasion for non-declaration and non-payment of tax to HM Revenue & Customs, which led the investigation. The IFB, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Department for Work and Pensions all provided assistance.

Undetected general insurance claims fraud total an estimated £1.9billion a year in the UK, adding on average £44 to the costs individual policyholders face each year.